


Waiting Line

by Singingpeonies



Series: Burn [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Old Steve is sick of his own shit, fix, so is everyone else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Singingpeonies/pseuds/Singingpeonies
Summary: Follow up fix it to &Burn
Relationships: Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, background Darcy Lewis/Jared Franklin
Series: Burn [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560790
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	Waiting Line

Darcy has been lying. Steve knows it. Sam has been reporting back to him on their visits. He's become more civil in the past weeks. Only since Steve broke down after Darcy's visit. 

"She's good man. I don't know why you keep asking. You went back thinking she'd move on and she has. She met a great guy Stella introduced her to. He's a lawyer. They...Do you really need to hear this?" Sam asks.

"Yes. I...please Sam." He rattles. His voice strong but not unaffected by time.

Sam sighs and pulls out his phone. He taps a few times and shows him Darcys Instagram (he knows it's completely void of him now. She'd scrubbed him from her life with a precision that would have impressed Natasha for sure.) and hold it out. It's full of pictures of Darcy and this lawyer. He's smiling largely lots of perfect teeth. She's barely curling her lips. Her body is turned away but he's wrapped around her. In another she's sipping her drink and he's kissing her cheek. Birthdays, vacations, "declarations of fondness" (her words). 

To anyone else they would seem in love. Happy. Steve can see the boredom, hurt, blankness at times lingering around her mouth and eyes.

Not for the first time he wonders.

He'd looked them up. Peggy's kids. Sharon. None of them exists because of what he'd done. Coulson, Clint, and Natasha never recruited. Clints children. There was very little that remained. Not to mention. He missed Darcy like hell. Being with Peggy was great. But it wasn't his path. He's blown that to shit on a stupid what if. 

"Hey, Sam. Can you try to get Bruce out here?" He asks as nonchalantly as possible.

Sam looks at him long and shrugs.

When Steve lays out his plan Bruce says no. Then he says maybe. Then he leaves. 

When he comes back three weeks later he's holding a slip of paper. 

A wedding invitation.

"Jared Franklin and Darcy Lewis  
Save the Date. November 13, 2027"

Steve throws up.

After he rinses his mouth he sits on the bed and hangs his head. God he fucked up. He hears a click. And looks down to the watch on his arm. When he looks up Bruce is holding a suit. 

"Do you have a plan?" Bruce asks.

"Yes. I've been thinking about it since 1948."

That comment obviously shocks him.

He sets the watch checks that he'll have what he needs and then he's gone. 

When he lands he is standing behind a tree. He can see himself staring at Peggy. 

"Don't!" He shouts. His younger self turns sharply. "Don't go in there."

"What the..."

"Shut up you great big selfish idiot."

"This brings self hate to a whole new level."

"You have no idea. How much I hate myself. If I go in there...it's fine. You're happy enough. But, after a while you start to miss Darcy. Then you don't know what to do. You can't get back. So you have to wait. In a marriage where you both resent each other and when you finally FINALLY see Darcy again she hates you."

"No...she'll be."

"Happy? Do you know what you're leaving behind? That kind of love? Do you know what you're ruining by chasing some wet dream?"

His younger self looks down at him in surprise at the wedding invitation. The photos on the back telling all. This man loves Darcy. But Darcy is going through the motions. All the photos show her hiding her face in his chest or barely smiling. Her eyes are cloudy not the bright tell all he knew. Darcy was lying.

"Why...why is she marrying him? She's unhappy." Something clicks as he says it.

"Because you left her. Go back. You can retire. Give her a good life like you promised instead of ruining everything."

Steve turns and looks at the office one more time and doesn't notice or doesn't care to notice the frail hand reach over and activate the watch removing his hand in just enough time. He grins and sighs in relief as he begins to fade.

***Back in 2025***

"You got everything back?" Sam asks.

Steve steps off the platform and nods tossing the Shield toward Sam with a wide grin.

"This belongs to you. Do good Sam I know you will. Do you know where Darcy is?"

"Uh wait...are you sure? I...She's at your place, maybe? You've only been gone like...an hour."

Steve is already taking off toward their place in midtown.

When he gets there Darcy is lounging on the couch just like he remembers from the morning and he pauses in the doorway to take her in. 

"Hey! Did you get all of everything taken care of?" She asks waving her hand at 'everything'.

"Yeah. Everything is...exactly the way it should be." He moves toward her and hauls her against him taking her mouth in a deep kiss. "I love you."

She grins.

"I love you too."


End file.
